Woman to see her embryos destroyed

Thursday 18 January 2007 00:04 BST

A woman who lost a legal battle over the right to use her frozen embryos says she will watch them being destroyed.

Natallie Evans, who lost a five-year fight to keep six frozen embryos that had been fertilised by her ex-partner, said: "I was there at their creation, so I don't see why I can't be there at their death."

Ms Evans, 35, from Melksham, Wiltshire, and Howard Johnston, 30, from Cheltenham, embarked on IVF in 2001 after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Treatment for the cancer later left her infertile.

But Mr Johnston withdrew consent for the embryos to be used after the couple split up in 2002.

Ms Evans' "last chance" appeal to keep the embryos failed when the European Court of Human Rights ruled last week that her rights to become a mother did not outweigh the rights of Mr Johnston not to become the father of her children.

In an interview with Grazia magazine, Ms Evans said she hopes Mr Johnston will never have children of his own.

"It breaks my heart, thinking I might never have children that will look like me", she said.

"He can adopt and foster all the children he likes - I just never want him to have his own, as he has taken that away from me."